Lanimele
by TheDogo
Summary: They'd bantered back and forth over 'classic song titles' and a few great singers from Jersey, but he'd never caught his partner actually humming before … or singing for that matter.


**Disclaimer:** Do not own Hawaii Five-0. No copyright infringement intended.

**_Authors Note:_**_ This fluff … yes, I know … I said fluff, not whump … is solely due to Jlopie's challenge. Write me a story of Christmas fluff she says. Me … write fluff … about Christmas … what was she thinking. ***throws hands up in the air and stomps away***_

_And then Cargumentluv double dog dared me … yep, she did … and then Irene Claire and Fifilla hopped on the band wagon. Jeeze! So here ya go. Attempted fluff … by TheDogo. Who would've thought! Certainly not me. Oh, and apologizing up front here. This kind of got out of hand and most definitely got away from me … Sorry. And IC'k says it's really not fluff … but it was a good go at it ;) Also, thank you IC'k, Fifilla, and KomodoQueen for the quick Beta so as to prevent the writer from being lynched!_

_Lanimele – Heavenly song._

_As ever … Enjoy! But just don't shoot me for trying to write fluff. Dedicated to KomodoQueen 'cause she certainly could use a good laugh right now. Go ahead, laugh at me woman … I can take it ;)_

_**"Lanimele" **_

Steve casually leaned against the doorframe of Danny's office, arms crossed in front of his chest, his left boot resting on top of his right. He had been listening for several minutes without his partner's knowledge, the man completely engrossed in the vestiges of paper work for the last case. A soft hum had been emanating between Danny's pressed lips before a subtle change of key and intonation broke through Steve's reverie.

"What is that?" Steve pushed off the door's molding and lazily strode into the room, a sarcastic grin beginning to grace his features.

"Christ, Steven, a little warning. I swear you do that on purpose. Invading my office should not be treated as a covert operation."

"I wasn't invading, I was coming in like I always do. Don't try to change the subject."

Danny's right hand waved in assertion to his previous point. "See, like I said, invading. And I haven't changed the subject because we weren't having a conversation. A question does not constitute a conversation, hence, no change of subject."

Steve rolled his eyes as he plopped onto the edge of his partner's desk, knowing the man hated the intrusion into his work space. "I was initiating a conversation with a question, so the subject was implied when I asked you about _that_," the SEAL said, pointing at Danny's lips. "I want to know what you're humming."

"I'm not humming."

"You _were_ humming. What's it called?"

The Detective pulled away from his keyboard, clasping both hands behind his head as he reclined into the chair, glaring. Fairly sure of the reception he would receive from his answer, he hesitated and then stalled outright.

"Why?"

"No, Danny. Not why … what. What were you humming just then?" Steve circled his finger in front of his friend's face, emphasizing his point, before re-crossing his arms. "Seriously, just answer my question. It's a simple question."

"God, I hate you," the Detective growled, sitting forward so that his elbows rested on the edge of the desk. Steve's eyebrows raised slightly as an indication he could wait the man out all day if need be and Danny knew it. "Fine. It was a Christmas hymn."

"Yeah, well, that was not Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer or Frosty the Snowman, buddy." True to form, Steve actually chuffed at his partner's answer before hiding his grin behind his hand and keeping it there.

Danny frowned at the twinkle in his partner's eyes. The man was infuriating and a nuisance. He refused to give too much away, no matter how much the aqua-man goaded him.

"No, Steven, Rudolf and Frosty are Christmas C-a-r-o-l-s. I was humming a Christmas hymn. There's a difference you Philistine."

"O … kay. But you still haven't told me what it's called." Steve had finally taken his hand away from the smirk that was dominating his features.

"You wouldn't recognize it if I told you. It's a hymn. Please tell me you know what a hymn is."

"Yes, Danny, I know what a hymn is." The SEAL rolled his eyes in exasperation. "The name, Daniel. All I'm asking for is the name."

Danny's glower deepened before he capitulated. "Alright, already. It's called _Light of Those Whose Dreary Dwelling_. It was written by Charles Wesley around 1746."

Steve blinked in stunned silence, his smirk instantaneously turning into a frown. His brain actually stumbled before it caught up to the answer his partner had just unexpectedly lobbed at him.

"Charles Wesley, huh. Do I even want to know why you're humming a _hymn _written by a guy from the 18th century?"

"No."

"Wait. No, what?"

"No, you don't want to know, nor do I plan on telling you." It was Danny's turn to cross his arms in front of his chest as he sat back again, inwardly groaning at the botherment of a man still perched on the corner of his desk.

"Just … just hang on a second. There's no way you're getting off that easy." Steve shook his head to clear out his obvious confusion. "I find you humming a Christmas Carol by some obscure guy and you think I'm just going to let that go without finding out why?"

"It's not a Christmas Carol you goof, I thought we already established that. It's a Christmas hymn. And Charles Wesley isn't just some _guy._ Charles Wesley is considered one of the greatest hymn writers of all times. You can't tell me that you haven't heard of _Hark! The Herald Angels Sing_, Steven."

"Yes, I've heard of it, but that's not the point." Steve stood before placing both palms on his partner's desk as he leaned in, eyes now blazing. "I catch you humming a Christmas hymn written three centuries ago; emphasis on hymn, Daniel. As in _religious_ hymn. And this sound is coming from the guy who's trampled over sacred Hawaiian burial grounds and treats other people's religious beliefs like a joke! So yeah, Daniel, I'd like to know why the guy who '_thinks that people make stuff up to make themselves feel better' _is humming a religious hymn." Steve had taken his hands off the desk for a split second, flashing air quotes in front of his partner's face before slapping said palms back onto the desk.

The intensity cascading off the SEAL would have been impressive had his partner not immediately matched him in his own righteous defense.

"Not that you would know the difference, but a hymn, which is typically defined as a 'song of praise', is still music, Steven. And as I am a lover of exemplary music, unlike you, humming a religious hymn should not be precluded from my repertoire. A meritorious hymn, like good music, conveys feeling … in here." Danny angled towards the man staring daggers at him, jabbing him in the chest with his index finger. He knew full well that what he was doing was akin to poking a wolverine, but he didn't care.

"A hymn should also reveal a consistent elevation of tone and a rhythm that's easy and harmonious, not like the trivialness typical of a Coca cola's Christmas jingle. And I'm not saying that the language of a hymn can't still be ordinary, but it should never be slovenly, pretentiousness, or carry visible artifice, which of course would be far worse than just having an excess of plainness. Come to think of it, the most exemplary soundness of doctrine within a hymn should never atone for doggerel, or redeem from failure, a prosaic didactic style."

"Doggerel … prosaic didactic style? What the hell, Danny. That makes absolutely no sense nor does anything that you just said even remotely answer my question!"

The Detective's countenance darkened. "The words too big for you, Steven? Crack a dictionary once in a while. Better yet, use a search engine. You might actually make it out of the Cretaceous period with that. And I have no intention of answering your question because the _subject_ is now off limits."

Danny powered out of his chair, his finger's mockingly air quoting the emphasized word in his terse reply. He had allowed his partner to once again wind him up, therefore ending his rant … well, here. Steve had struck a nerve. A sensitive one that Danny had yet to come to full grips with. In a struggle to regain some semblance of composure, he grabbed his smart phone and car keys off the desk with one hand before he leaned over to pound the left click on his mouse when the cursor landed on 'print'. "My reports just need your signature. You can get them off the printer in a minute. I have to go pick up Grace."

"Danny …"

"No, Steven. You've made your point. What I choose to hum or not hum is my business. I'll make sure in the future that I curtail any desire I might have for humming when I'm around you." Danny maneuvered his way past his partner, his hand patting his friend's shoulder as he went by. "Have a good evening, babe."

Steve pushed himself upright, spinning to face the retreating Detective's back. He was dumbfounded. How did his simple inquiry into what his friend had been humming turn into an old argument of Danny's spiritual beliefs or lack thereof? And since when did Danny hum? They'd bantered back and forth over 'classic song titles', and a few great singers from Jersey, but he'd never caught his partner actually humming before … or singing for that matter.

He watched as Danny briefly stopped to say something to Chin in the hallway before he left. Whatever his partner had conveyed and handed over in an envelope, the Hawaiian hadn't seemed keen on.

Chin had been keeping an eye on his two teammates from his office. As soon as the volume of their discussion had increased and their body language changed, he was on the move. His intention had been to intercede, but he hadn't been fast enough. "Hey, everything okay in here?" Chin had returned to Danny's office, Steve still rooted to the same spot on the floor.

"Yeah … no. I have no idea." Steve threw up his hands as he pushed past his teammate on his way to his own office.

"You want to tell me what that was all about?" Chin followed in his wake, folding the envelope in half and tucking it into his back pocket.

"Danny was humming."

His statement was met only with silence. The kind of silence that's filled with the expectation of further explanation and tolerant bemusement.

"He was humming a religious hymn, Chin!" Steve's frustration got the better of him, his fists pounding against the desk top as he leaned into them.

"Hey, what's going on you two? I passed Danny on the stairs. He seemed upset. He wanted to cancel tonight." Kono's arrival set the SEAL into aggravated pacing. At this rate the man was going to tunnel his way down to the first floor of the building.

"Yeah, he said the same thing to me. Seems that Steve took offense to Danny's humming." Chin had plopped himself into a nearby chair, becoming more wary of what the actual argument was that took place between the two friends.

"I didn't say that. I simply asked him what the song was called … no, the hymn … you know what? Just never mind. It doesn't matter what the damn thing is called. I just wanted the name."

"Did Danny tell you? The name of what he was humming?" Kono was looking from one man to the other, concern creeping into her expression.

"Yep, but then he went off on a rant about the difference between a Christmas Carol and a good hymn. Before I know it he's yelling about Coke, artifice, and something about didactic."

"Did you ask him why he was humming that particular hymn, though?" Kono questioning gaze caught her cousins. He shrugged.

"Yes, I asked, all right? I wanted to know why the guy who dismissed the importance of a Heiau and think people make shit up, was singing a religious hymn."

"Wait, you said that to him?" Kono's visage clouded over.

"Now I understand why Danny wanted to call off tonight." Chin placed his elbows on his knees, running his hands through his hair before looking up. "Don't you think that's a bit of a low blow, coming at him with that? The Heiau happened almost a year ago. Danny's changed."

"What do you mean Danny's changed? He still hates it here and anything that smacks of this culture." Steve hesitated, still glaring at the two as his mind rewound what both his teammates had said. "Hold up a second, what's going on tonight?"

Chin and Kono exchanged knowing looks but she cut her cousin off before he disallowed her getting in her say. "What's happening tonight may not matter, at least not to you. And you're wrong about Danny. You are. He has changed, you just haven't noticed. There are a lot of things you haven't noticed about Danny and Grace lately."

Kono's statement had a note of sorrow in it that Steve didn't like but Chin jumped in before the man's hackles could raise any further.

"That's enough, Kono. Look, Steve. Grace's Christmas performance is tonight, which is why Danny left early. We've all got tickets." Chin held up his hand to ward off the man's protest that he didn't have one. "Danny gave me yours. He didn't want to give it to you too early because he was afraid you'd find a way to weasel your way out of going."

"Why would Danny think that I wouldn't go see his daughter in a Christmas play?"

"Because it's not a play, it's a choir performance. Grace auditioned and was invited to sing in the Hawai'i Sacred Choir. She's been singing with them for several months. It's a big deal, Steve. Danny was afraid you wouldn't be willing to sit through a choir performance, but he didn't want to disappoint Grace either. She's been hounding him to get you to come. He planned on asking you today and then giving you your ticket."

"Why in the hell couldn't he just ask me like a normal human being? What's with all the secrecy?" Steve frowned then, as another thought popped into his brain. "Hang on a second. The Hawai'i Sacred Choir is the only mixed Choir of men, women, and children singers. Is that why Danny was humming that hymn? He's singing with Grace?"

Chin shook his head in exasperation. He knew why Danny had been hesitant to ask his partner, but it wasn't his place, or Kono's, to be telling Steve. "That information isn't ours to share with you, brah. That's Danny's story to tell if he wants to. Just plan on being ready by 7:00, we'll meet at your place and go from there. The performance is at the Cathedral of St. Andrews."

"And Steve, this is a formal occasion. No cargo pants allowed," Kono growled, still obviously perturbed with the man.

The Commander held up his hands in submission, knowing full well he'd get nothing out of either cousin at this point. "Got it, formal. No cargo pants. I'll see you at 7:00."

H50

The beauty of the Cathedral of St. Andrew's lay in its simplicity and Gothic roots. Founded in 1865 on grounds that had once been a royal garden and luau site, the Cathedral, throughout its history, had been a pleasant, welcoming anomaly in the heart of downtown Honolulu. As early arrivals, Kono, her black evening dress flowing elegantly behind her, was escorted by both men through the west ends unadorned, bronze double-doors. With the exception of the over-sized entrance, the entire West end of the Cathedral was curtained in an intricately patterned, hand-blown stained glass wall. Kono's arms intertwined within her teammates, they passed beneath bronze cast figures of the Apostles and into the simple symmetry of the massive limestone columns and vaulting of the spacious nave. Layered into the exterior walls behind the columns, a series of stained glass windows encircled the nave, ambulatory and clerestory above. Their eyes were drawn to the open choir while they were escorted stage right to their reserved seating, the discreetly placed down-lights accenting the aisle to the golden oak pews. Ambient up-lighting highlighted the limestone masonry and the rich coral tone finish of the coffered ceiling.

Steve, situated closest to the aisle, began to squirm as the ambient illumination dimmed, versatile accent beams bathing the chancel in a warm glow as the choir, robed in red, entered. He was able to pick out Grace immediately, but there was no sign of his partner. The Chamber Orchestra followed shortly after as did the Choirmaster, the man continuing further forward to address the audience.

Steve leaned over, whispering in Kono's ear, "Where the hell is Danny?

"Language, Boss," Kono hissed. "Just be patient. You'll see in a minute."

The Choirmaster's voice was deep, so that as he spoke, every head within the Cathedral turned. He had a rich, silky tone, his speech as if he controlled all things terrene while his vocal experience seeped through his every breath. He smiled in welcome to those gathered, his arms held out as if in an embrace.

"In this place where hope outlives those who don't believe that time forgives, our story begins upon the birth of one small child …"

The luminescence dimmed further leaving only the candled lighting wreathed around each column. And then a voice, a lone voice, beginning in _a cappella_ from the far reaches of the Cathedral tucked behind the wooden pews, filled the nave with the warmth of gleaming mahogany.

Steve's body went rigid, his spine straightening as his head swiveled in search of the voice. Surrounded by flickering shadows cast upon columns, his senses sprang to life as the richness of the solitary baritone became palpable, pulsing within his veins.

"Danny?" he whispered.

"Shush, Steve. Just listen." Kono smiled at him when he turned to her in puzzlement, the two cousins the only thing keeping him from standing.

"That's Danny, isn't it?"

"Shhhhh … listen."

The voice was warmth and vibrant power, filling the nave with emotion only to carry those that were listening off to a world where music had the capability to change everything wrong within the world. Raw and expressive, the hymn was sung with an unmatched emotional hunger and a longing that could chill the listener into believing they were infringing on something personal, something secret.

The ferocity of Steve's reaction rumbled like a storm deep inside of him. He felt overwhelmed by the rapport that held him, wrapping him within tones that made him feel safe, content. Only his partner had the power to take him to that place. He knew with unmatched certainty, the voice was Danny's.

A hand placed on his shoulder for mere seconds shook him from the blanketed feeling of warmth that held him. He looked up, enfolded into the depths of a sea awash in flickering blue. Danny's smile embraced him and then he moved on as another voice, a sweet, exquisite sound vibrated through Steve's heart like the quiver of an arrow having met its mark.

"Gracie …" Steve whispered, his voice catching. "God, she's beautiful." Steve was unable to move other than sucking in a hitched breath, the wooden pews hard surface and Kono's hand placed gently on his thigh another mooring that grounded him.

The intensity and brilliance of the young girl's voice danced amongst the vigorous mastery and fullness of her father's. And then the orchestra engaged in a dialogue with each voice and then the other's for dominance as successive hymns soared through the nave like an eagle on an up-draft. Each voice took with it the very souls of the listening audience as they ascended together in a magical flight to the heavens, a magnificent melody of orchestral exuberance.

Steve had lost track of time, transfixed, his eyes darting between the Detective and his daughter. Their tremendous physical exertion and immersion into each piece was impressive. Their concentration so complete, they sang spirit through each living breath. And then time stood still as Danny retook the last piece with a vengeance, the orchestra receding into the background, a plucking staccato that contrasted the smoothness of his dramatic passage. The quick alternation between the remaining choir and the soloist, moments when rather than conversing or supporting the solo baritone, the choir seemed instead to be imitating and mocking him. When the horns and remaining orchestra reentered the fray, the intensity built. And just when it appeared that the orchestra had taken over, Danny's voice crescendoed into the coffered ceiling and then echoed throughout the masonry.

Steve felt as if his own breath had been stolen from his body until all that was left was the silence that there had been at the beginning. The choir's performance, Danny and Gracie's, had been a shared journey that had held him spellbound in rapt silence. But then, like a tsunami, the applause rolled forward, bringing the audience to their feet, Steve included. Fingers shoved between his lips and against his tongue, Steve wolf whistled the boatswain call before Kono or Chin could stop him. His smile widened against pressed lips until the whistle died from the widening gap because he had noted Danny rolling his eyes at his partner's boorish support. He chuckled further when Kono slapped him on the shoulder.

"Danny's right, can't take you anywhere, Boss." Kono's eye's danced through dampened lashes as Steve enveloped her in a hug. Chin shushed them both, pointing to the front.

The audience sat again as the Choirmaster patiently waited.

"Although our story started with the birth of a baby boy, we hope we have awoken how he came to bring us joy. So in this world of odd illusions and unrealistic dreams, we hope you've heard our tale and discovered about all that Christmas means. The most magical thing about this night we may never recreate. However, no matter where you are in life it is never, ever too late. So from a heavens star, somewhere shining in the night, we find a father not so far away now reflecting in its light. And it's good that we remember just as soon as we've discovered that the things we do in life will often end up touching others. And so a story is now over, and it's time to take our leave, but may God keep you and protect you on this and every, Christmas Eve."

H50

"Uncle Steve!" Grace raced towards the SEAL, her blazing red gown flowing behind her as if flames engulfed her and embers danced at the passing of her feet. She knew with the certainty of one beloved that the man would catch her when she threw herself into his outstretched arms.

"Wow, Gracie. You sang beautifully." Steve lifted her off of her toes, completing one flowing circle before placing her gently back to the ground.

"Did you like it? Danno said you might not come because you wouldn't like it."

"Did I like it? Aw, Grace ... yeah, I liked it. I'd never have missed that." He kissed her on the top of her head after setting her down, her sinewy arms wrapping around his waist for a squeeze. Steve's eyebrows rose in a combination of questioning and unfiltered amazement when his attention fell upon his partner, the man's smile lingering on his daughter before he raised his eyes. Danny had remained by the bronze double-doors, waiting, concern creasing his brow when his gaze met Steve's. His body language screamed uncertainty, an uncertainty placed there by his partner.

"Hey Grace, can you go with Auntie Kono and Uncle Chin to Davies Hall? I want to talk to Danno. Just make sure you save us some cookies though, okay? We'll be there in a minute."

Grace glanced back at her father, Danny nodding his approval. "Come on, I'll show you where we're supposed to meet." She took Chin's hand, pulling him along as he regaled her with praise for her performance, her laughter floating away on the breeze.

Kono hesitated beside Danny, stopping to give him a quick hug and peck on the temple. "I have no words for that, brah. None." She placed her palm gently along his cheek and then whispered in his ear before easing away, "Thank you for sharing that with me. I know how important that was to you."

Danny reached up to take her hand, squeezing it, then let her fingers slip through his. He was flushed, appreciative of his teammates support, but still wary of the one person's opinion that meant most to him, besides Grace. He lowered his gaze, studying the aggregate with the interest of an engineer.

"Danny." Steve was a mere inches from the man and his friend still wouldn't meet his gaze. "Danno, come on man. Tell me what's going through that crazy head of yours. Help me to understand why you kept this so secret. Because I don't know how to even describe what I just heard in there. That was just … wow." Steve moved in even closer, occupying all of the man's personal space, his hand tentatively reaching out to rest on his friend's shoulder.

"Danno." Steve's iteration of the man's name a plea all of its own. He kept his hand where it lay, the muscles underneath Danny's shoulder strung so tight he thought his friend might just snap from the tension.

"I haven't sung in a choir since college, well before Gracie was ever born. No one knows except my family, not even Rachel. It's not something … it's not something that tends to go over real well in the sphere of law enforcement … well, anywhere for that matter. Didn't go over real well in college either. I spent a lot of time defending music, the power that music had over me, with my fists. Worried my family something awful, though they never asked me to give it up."

"But you did. You did give it up. Danny, why?"

Danny shrugged. He didn't have a good reason really. The power that music had over him to restore his shattering self-image during high school and then resolve the daily stressors between its practice and how people perceived him in College had always led Danny to regard singing as necessary, a need he had no control over. It was no different to him than his passion for sports, for baseball. And he still believed that music, just like sports, was a unique and major source of an important kind of knowledge human beings could achieve: self-knowledge. So when Grace had pleaded with him to audition for the choir, he couldn't deny her. Because besides his family, his daughter was the only other person within his life who knew he sang … had sung.

"But Danny, why a religious Choir? You said that you didn't believe in anything … spiritual."

Danny shrugged again, finally meeting his friend's gaze and holding it. "Rachel's Catholic, so is Stan. Rachel and I agreed before we were married that any children we might have would be raised Catholic. I've never had a problem with that agreement. And now that Grace is getting older, she beginning to ask more questions about God, about religion. Questions that I'm having a hard time answering." He hesitated, running his fingers through his hair before continuing. "Look, I was raised in the Church. Hence the Choir. But I'd do anything for Grace, you know that. So when she asked me to audition for another Choir, I didn't hesitate. Not really. But then she started asking more questions about what the music _meant_, how it related to Catholicism, her religious upbringing. And I didn't have an answer. Steve, I can't not have an answer for my daughter. I can't … not about this."

Steve's eyes widened as he took in what his partner was actually saying. "Shit, really? Danny you're taking RCIA classes? That's what you've been doing Tuesday evenings when we're not working on a case? And Sunday morning Mass with Grace?"

He shrugged a third time, "Like I said, I'd do anything for my daughter."

"Are you going through the Sacrament of Initiation and all the way through Mystagogy?"

"I don't know yet. I've completed the inquiry and am now a Candidate because I was baptized as a baby. I've been talking a lot with Father Roy. He doesn't want me to do this just for Grace. But no matter what I decide, it won't affect whether I sing in the Choir or not. The Hawai'i Sacred Choir isn't tied to the Catholic Church. And I was hoping that the team wouldn't say anything to anyone outside of Five-0 about the Choir thing …" Danny narrowed his eyes, his gaze boring into his partner in consideration. "Hang on a second. How come you know so much about RCIA? Are you Catholic?"

"Cradle Catholic," Steve retorted.

"Christ, you're everywhere."

"Hey."

"Well, you are. Everywhere I turn … it's like you breed under rocks or something."

"Wow, what kind of conversations do you exactly have with Father Roy?"

"Don't wow me. And Father Roy thinks I'm … refreshing."

A pause, no longer than a heartbeat.

"Wow."

"Don't wow me, Steven!"

"Right. Come on man, let's go get your daughter before she falls into a sugar coma."

Another pause.

"Danno, your singing? That was just …

"Don't say it … don't."

"Wow."

**_~the end~_**

_OMGosh, demoted from a Rookie to a Cloverbud!_


End file.
